DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation and other products set in the same universe are all owned by Rifujin na Magonote, Shirotaka, Shosetsuka ni Naro, Media Factory, and Studio Bind.

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Chapter 3: Prideful Swordswoman

It's been two solid weeks since that first mission with Zenith and... I guess she proved her worth more than once.

The blonde had warmed up. Not just to me, but to the Adventure Guild itself. She was still a shy young woman at times with strangers and lesser-known adventurers, but she was able to keep an acceptable social exchange with pretty much most of the group. And with her confidence soaring, so did her reaction time during difficult situations. Her readiness had picked up to a modest level, giving her the edge in case we stumbled upon an issue that required her expertise in action.

But those two weeks didn't just see us bonding some more, growing closer as friends by talking about any worries we had about the messes we faced, or even planning how to spend our combined money to secure a more advantageous situation for the two of us. No, we also took some time off from adventuring to train. Zenith's level was already pretty close to advanced, and she admitted that she could just broaden her current arsenal of intermediary spells rather than take that big step. If she was to get a greater grasp of her magic, she would have to train under a proper teacher. And that wasn't affordable at the moment... nor anytime soon. Not with the income we had at the time.

Jesus Christ, tutors are hella expensive here...

Meanwhile, I found some books that prepared me for learning two of the three main styles of swordsmanship. Water God and Sword God. I thought about going for the third style too but... North God Style was literally all about throwing blades at people, and I didn't like depriving myself of my only means to defend myself. Water God Style was quite interesting in a general perspective: it was Wing Chun, but with swords and... it was magical.

I was also able to learn it was slightly easier than expected since 'I had a better hold over my emotions'. This kind of style required patience and caution, something that I had focused for so long in a while that had become a firm part of my daily life. And that gave me a greater grasp on sensing people's energies. That I had to ask for help from Zen herself, and she was kind enough to show me how sensing magic worked. So, after just a week of studying it, I couldn't help but feel confidently close to passing into Intermediate if granted more time to master the basics some more.

At the same time, Sword God was a meaner bitch to get hold of. The style centered a single important element: speed. 'Victory goes to he who moves first', which was literally the Wehrmacht's motto before getting a 'Soviet Anthem Earrape'-grade wake up call from Stalin himself. It wasn't a wrong reference considering that was the main flaw of the style.

If there is something that limits the user's mobility, then it is best to ditch the style and rely on something else. Let's just say that I had a 'small' flaw when it came to rushing at high speed. I sucked at handling the pace and not crashing on some wall. After falling for the same issue twice in a row, I just decided that Water God was cooler and I would avoid Sword God for the time being.

All in all, I wasn't exactly leaving myself weak when I had the means to grow stronger and provide less issues during each quest. I was so eager when I actually got my stance gone through well during our second time facing bandits that I was expecting little to no issues in the near future.

Then I heard Murphy got himself a nice 'Fuck You' Rocket Launcher and was so overjoyed by the news he started to obliterate everything and everyone.

It all started one morning as we were going towards the Adventurers Guild. And before anyone asks, no, we don't share a room like it happened on our first day together. There was a reason why that happened, a reason that was no longer there as Zenith made it clear she wasn't exactly the kind of girl that would normally enter people's rooms, sleep in the bed for comfort as they had them watch over them as they cried out their traumas away. Talking is fine, but not when it was night and I wanted to sleep in my warm bed. That last night sleeping in that chair left me 'mentally-scarred' and I didn't need Part 2 of that scene. Ever.

So, we were going to the Guild. It was a sunny day and... someone was causing some trouble as we entered inside to find a large difference from the usual sights. The road to the receptionist's counter was paved for a single individual to make a scene. It was confusing, and Zenith almost didn't want to tag along as I decided to check what was going on with it. Many had just moved away, but, then again, most of the people around this time were around our ranks. So maybe one of the big shots had decided to visit and had a bit of an issue with some contracts.

I was technically correct about this individual.

The 'Beast' woman had all the tropes of a professional badass. Eye-patch, skimpy clothes with some scars in full display and a hand always close to the hilt of the sword. That and the fact she was unconsciously emitting a form of magical pressure that baffled me at first. It felt so 'dense' and yet so 'weak' compared to how I perceived it at the earliest moment. It was the reason why I hesitated just for a moment before actually approaching. It was unpleasant, but not to the point of being utterly rejected by approaching the source of it.

The woman's beast traits, her ears, would suggest a wolf, but I recognized that her tail told another tale. Feline in nature, and adding this to her ears... Tiger. She seemed to notice my approach, her upper ears twitching but her posture showing any interest in bracing for anything dangerous. I held no ill intention within my steps, my posture was at ease and my hand was away from my holstered sword and knife. Her gaze shifted to regard me, but I didn't do the same. Quite rude, I know, but I wasn't planning to have any conversation with this trouble-maker.

"O-Oh, John. I was a bit busy with... Ms. Dedoldia."

I slowly nodded. "I noticed. I think pretty much the whole Guild did."

I think that's where the young woman realized that she had made a bit of a mess with this situation. She tensed a bit, not enough for a big reaction, but enough to display small regret for what she was doing.

"So, what's going on?"

The one-eyed gaze was back at me. "It's nothing you should be concerned about."

Mostly fair, if not for an issue.

"The moment you threaten part of this establishment for this, I believe it does," I shot back strongly, but showing no unnecessary disdain at that predicament. "So?"

"She forgot to have the client sign the paper to confirm the completion of the quest. And she was arguing how she was told by the client that it wasn't necessary."

"It isn't-"

"It is," I confirmed flatly. "Every member of this guild has to provide proof of their commitment to the job, and that is affordable by providing the client's signature with the documentation to confirm the end of the quest."

Still, considering the circumstance behind this whole mess, I doubted the client was now going to comply with this request. Not when they tricked the adventurer like this. A F-Rank adventurer at that since this was the first time I have ever seen her in town. Seeing that this could go many bad ways for this place and, worst of all, limit our capacity to go through missions today, I decided to play smart and deal with it through a simple exchange.

"How much was the pay for this mission? A Large Copper Coin?"

The receptionist paused, looking at me with a confused look before nodding. Huffing, I proceeded to pick up from my money bag the correct coin and place it on the surface of the counter.

"I'm willing to make a fairly simple deal with you, Ms. Dedoldia," I spoke up once more. "You get the equivalent of what you were to receive for this quest, you apologize to the receptionist as this problem can be ignored and... next time, you try to have your clients sign the paperwork."

...

"What?"

"I pay you money, you apologize to the receptionist and never fall into the same trick again," I simplified and the Beast woman frowned at that summary. "You can either pick what you came here for, or you might end up in trouble once B- and A-rank adventurers turn up."

...

The woman picked up the money, but said nothing as I merely focused on retrieving a D-Rank mission, something that we could handle and get us out of town while this mess simmered down, leaving me and Zen free from picking up our previously-interrupted pace and removing ourselves from the area. I wasn't planning to linger any longer, not when I could feel the Beast woman's eye on me and those were fueled by genuine annoyance at what had just happened.

The mission went way smoother than it was the first D-Rank one we had to face two weeks earlier. Once more escorting a merchant from this city to another settlement and then back 'home'. Nothing really shocking or worrying, but still enough to leave Zen and I drained by the time we were walking back to the guild.

"Do you think Miss Hortensia will prepare her special soup for tonight?" Zenith inquired, clearly famished after that lengthy quest.

"Possibly. It's that time of the week," I replied as we turned the corner for the street where the entrance of the Guild's building stood. And right by the front doors, a familiar figure leaned on the wall right beside the main entry point. My lips twitched in annoyance, and I saw Zenith's posture growing tenser as we approached our destination.

"Why is she here?"

I refrained from even whispering as I could tell that 'Ms. Dedoldia' had heightened hearing.

"Hello," I greeted as we were finally in range for me to speak with this ticking bomb. "Why were you waiting for us?"

Zenith further grew uneasy at that blunt question. Not only because of how I phrased it, but because the way the silver-haired girl reacted to it made it clear my guess was right. She had been waiting for us for God knows how long...

"Your coin-"

"Your coin," I corrected calmly.

"I don't want it."

"Pity that you are the sole owner," I argued back, and I could tell her gaze hardening at that harsh wall to get her plans through. "Now, if this was the only thing-"

"Why?"

I blinked. "Why not?"

At this point, I tried to end the conversation there but... the woman proved herself to be way more stubborn than predicted. We entered inside the building and I got our rewards from this mission delivered straight to us. The receptionist noticed the situation, but voiced nothing about it, knowing that she hardly had the means to entertain another mess again.

"That's not an answer," The one-eyed swordswoman remarked, and I shrugged.

"It is an answer, just not one you would feel more comfortable to handle on the spot."

And from there, a... brain-hurting discussion ensued. She followed us back to the inn, she stuck around for dinner as she still pressed to return the coin and... she disappeared that very night as it came time for Zen and I to go to our respective rooms. Those were safe spots from that form of mild-stalking, but my hopes of this being a day-long issue proved incorrect. The issue persisted for three more days before I found a way to handle it.

Three days of this woman, which I ended up learning her full name being Ghislaine Dedoldia, pestering me about returning that blasted coin. A coin she actually kept as she decided to skip dinner and rest at the inn because of 'proving a point'. Three days that... culminated in me actually snapping and demanding a fight from her. I won, she got to accept my demands, she won and I would have to retain that coin back. It was stupid, but I didn't question any form of logic as I was tired, pissed and mildly craving some butt-kicking.

A spar ensued and, due to her weakened state, Ghislaine was soundly defeated despite her impressive speed. She was still fast but... not enough. The result of that loss? She got another copper coin and this time she was forced to buy herself something to eat and spend a full day at the Inn to recover. She was far from amused, but no longer complained.

I thought this would have somewhat solved the mess altogether, but the only thing I got out of it was Ghislaine deciding to tag along with my 'party'. Zenith was fine with it since it meant less 'burden' on me and, while I found that reasoning kind of nice and sweet, I was still irritated by it. Especially since it enabled the one-eyed beast woman to feel more legitimate about this idea. And thus, in a rather bizarre turn of event, my 'party' grew by one through the swordswoman.

I wasn't sure if this was good enough news for some fanfare or not. Probably not.

AN

Gasp! Ghislaine portrayed in a partially negative light? That I can't stand! Still, the point of portraying her first impression that way is tied to how feral she is meant to be at this time. Very quick to annoy, terribly stubborn and atrociously naive. Next chapter will focus on this very situation and... let's just say that a bonding process is planned for that. Fluff ensues!